My NEWEST adventure - to come in Sept 2008

This post is from my regular blog. I am beyond excited about this trip.

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Well, I finally, after many years of patiently waiting and secretly longing, am off to Europe! I just booked a 10 day tour with Trafalgar Tours for Sept 2008. I know that is a while off but I did it this far in advance for a number of reasons. I am so excited I think I might burst. Here is how it all went down.

So, I have wanted to travel extensively for a while. It all really started when I went to Cuba in 2006. I can't believe it was that long ago (sigh). In any case, after my return I said I really wanted to start traveling in earnest and see the rest of the world. However, the countries that I am really interested in are in far away lands, such a Europe. I was really afraid of these countries, let me tell you. Being black and travelling to majority white places can be a mite uncomfortable. It's like going to a rock concert and having people look at you like you don't belong (rolling eyes). But, after reading the Elaine Lee's book on travel and speaking to my friends that have visited countries all over Europe, I felt sssooooo much better. You see, they are all black (the one's I spoke to on this issue) and they had great experiences in Europe. Now, I could care less what people think about me there. I am not trying to live in Europe, only see the beauty of it.

I decided to book the trip early so that I could enjoy the 5% discount off the land-only portion of the trip, if booked 7 months in advance. The countries we will visit are Germany, Austria (very excited about this country), Switzerland, Italy and finally Paris.
I am pretty sure some people may be thinking that it is impractical for me to take such an expensive vacation right before moving in but I have it all worked out. Booking this early will still give me a change to pay off my student loan, pay off this trip and save - all thanks to the part time job - and move in with ease. I figure that once I move, I will not be able to go on any big trips (little, cross-country jaunts, yes) for about 3 or 4 years. I am being practical and will look forward to my next big trip in 2011-2013. I know it is going against my original plans of travel to Austria in 2009 but my whole life has changed drastically since summer 2007 and I intend to live it to the fullest.

Right now, my motivation to keep working at the part time job is in full gear. Now that I have this trip to look forward to, the fatigue will be worth it. Or at least, that is the plan.